Sweet as a Rose, Sharp as a Dagger
by The Sea and Sky
Summary: AU, with the oringal timeline with an OC instead of Belle. The dark one has a new maid and only time will tell if they will meet again in Storybrooke.
1. Meeting the Beast

It was during the ogre war when we meet. when I meet him. This wasn't the first war nor would it truly be the last but everything was different then. I wasn't someone important nor was I royal. I knew my place, or I though I did. I worked at the castle of a duke. He was a lonely man who was losing his crops and people to the war, but he was kind. I was a maid to him but I think he saw me as his daughter at times. This wife and his real daughter was killed at the start of the war right before I was taken in. The war had lasted longer than anyone could remember or at least in this part of the kingdom. I was only five when I was taken in, by the duke. I learnt quickly what to do and what not to do around people.

Today was the day, the day we would get help. The duke had called on the one person no one wanted to call on. The Dark one. He was not one people trusted with his olive skin tone, dark magic and a thing for deals that usually had more to his favor then it let on. Everyone was gather in the main hall with the doors barred. The duke was pacing ever so slightly as I brought over his drink. He took it, but didn't drink. All he could think about what was would be his deal, and what could this man do.

There were a few loud bangs on the barred door as all eyes turned towards door.

" Its him." I told the king, " it has to be."

" How could he have gotten past everything." The duke said his hands starting to shake.

" Oh its me." Said the imp from behind. Everyone turned to see him walking towards the small group of people.

" Will you help us?" The duke asked moving slightly towards the man. I peered out from beside the duke to get a better view.

From the moment I saw him there was something. Corny, I know but there was something. It could have also just been the leather pant he wore.

" I can and I will, but what shall I get in return?" the man said her fingers gliding over the long table that was in the room.

" we can give you gold."

Th man only looked at him. " I spin gold I don't need that."

" Then what do you want." The duke said setting down the cup. The dark one looked about the room, as if he was still deciding on what he wanted. His eyes stopped one me, and I instantly saw it. I saw a glimpse of his castle of his home, his spinning wheel. As I saw my eye went a bit hazy as a started to lean on to the side until the duke caught me,

" I want her." He said. Those words brought me out of my vision.

"you cant have her." The duke said as his grip tightened on my arm. His feelings were clear to many, but that was the only way.

" I must." I spoke up. " your kingdom can not suffer because you keep a maid."

" Your like a daughter to me."

" tick tock." Said the dark one growing slightly impatient. " is it a deal?"


	2. Dark Castle

The Duke looked over at me his eyes not wanting me to go but I pulled away from him.

"Your Kingdom comes first." I moved away from him closer to the now smirking, dark one.

" It's Forever Dearie." The dark one move closer as did the Duke, but I turned to the duke.

" No one chooses my fate but me." I turned back to the dark one as I spoke. " The crops will grow again and the duke and his people will be safe."

" You have my word."

" And you have mine." I said looking him directly in the eye. Was that me or was there a slightly twinkle.

" Deal." He said with a giddy noise that none could explain, and made people around the room feel uncomfortable. The duke moved forward towards me not stopping until he was next to me.

"Rose you can not go with him,you can not go with that beast." At his words the dark one make a shocked expression that was clearly to mock the duke.

" You can not lose your kingdom to this war. It's been decided"

" She's right." Said the Dark one moving over and placing his hand left on my lower back. The deal has been struck….. Oh Congratulations on your little war." He said as he pushed me gently towards the door switching his left hand for his right as we walked out of the door and out of the dukes life. Forever.

When we arrived at the Dark One's Castle everything was where I saw it had been. The furniture needed dusked as did the drapes. We walked through the main room, and I saw the spinning wheel. It was sitting in the corner, straw all around it. Clearly he has been spinning recently.

" Where are we going?" I asked him as he lead me through the halls, down lower into the castle.

" Let's call it your room." We continued walking until he magically opened a door. I looked at him as I saw a cell, not a room.

"My room?"

" It's better then dungeon." As he spoke he pushed me inside and locked the door walking

away.

" You can't just leave me in here."I banged on the door for a few moments then stopped he was right, calling it a room was better then dungeon but he still couldn't just leave me in there. I walked around the small room and started pushing what material was there to one of the walls, so I could at least lie down on something for the time I was in there. This was the first time since I was five that I had been away from the duke's palace. I felt the tears starting to form in the corner of my eyes. I know why I did what I did, but being away from that castle,what was familiar was harder than I had thought. I wiped my eyes trying not to let them flow down my cheeks but there were a few that did.

It wasn't until later that he unlocked the door that I managed to stop the tears. I stood up as he beckoned me out of the cell and I followed him out and to the main room where the spindle was. He showed me where I could find a tea set and got me to work making tea in the kitchen. When I returned to the room he was sitting at the head of a long table that was in the room.

" You will serve me my meals and clean the dark castle. You will dust my collection and launder my clothing. You will fetch fresh straw for me when I am spinning at the wheel" he said to me as I started to pour the tea and nodding.

" Oh and you will skin the children I hunt for their pelts." With his words I dropped the cup, it chipped on one side. " That was a quip." He said as I bend down. " Not serious." He said leaning over slightly to watch me as I picked up the cup.

" Im so sorry It's chipped." I said to him as I rose showing him the cup.

" It's just a cup." He said turning his hand over waiting for his tea.

I nodded and poured him tea into a new cup and serving it to him. He took the cup and started to drink watching me as I walked back over to the tea set making sure nothing else had dropped. After he had finished his tea he stood and moved over to his spindle and started to spin while I walked over and got the cup and walked off with the tea set to start my first day of cleaning the dark castle.


	3. Intruder

The first week was the roughest for me. Apparently I cried in my sleep so loud Rumplestiltskin could hear me. He came all the way down complianineing about me wailing in my sleep so he gave me a pillow to stop the noise I was making. He was about to leave when there was a crash from upstairs. The two of us rushed up the stairs through the halls until we saw him. A man in a hood with a bow and arrow raised pointing at Rumplestiltskin. From my point of view I could just make out a wand in the man's satchel.

" Are you sure you want to do this dearie?" Said Rumplestiltskin stepping towards the intruder having seen the wand himself.

" pretty sure." Said the man not dropping his arms from their stance. I watched with my brown eyes between the two wondering what was going to happen.

" If you don't know how to use that wand it can do nasty things to you." The dark one said moving closer circling him a a bit. This didn't phase the man in front of us he only drew the string on the bow back further.

" Then I'll stick to what I know works. You know what this arrow can do to you."

" It has to hit me first." With that the dark one disappeared. I looked around the room as did the other man, trying to find him. When Rumplestiltskin reappeared the man turned his bow on him.

" That shouldn't be a problem, an arrow fired from this bow always finds it's target. Don't you just love magic." With that he fired the bow and the dark one vanished again. I moved back looking around as the arrow was zooming around the room until it hit Rumplestiltskin, who was now standing right besides the man, but he was not worried he only pulled out the arrow. I could only watch the two vanished to a dungeon most likely. Soon the dark one returned and told me to sweep the main room while he got to work punishing the man. He grabbed an apron and walked back towards the dungeon. I walked over pulled my shoulder length brown hair back into a ponytail and got to work sweeping.

It wasn't to long before I started hearing screams of pain. I didn't want to be hearing this but what was I suppose to do? I swept until the Dark one walked in and handed me an apron to wash. This happened a few times until every last apron in the castle was covered in blood. When he handed me the last one I couldn't help myself.

" All this over him trying stealing a wand?" I asked him my eyes searching his features for answers.

"No, because he tried to steal from me. The dark one. If you try that you get skinned alive everyone knows that."

" Actually no. No one knows that. I have never heard that ever in my life."

" Well they will after they find that body. Now I'll be back later, keep sweeping" My stomach turned over, as I could only imagine what he was doing to that poor man. I turned away from the apron as he left there was only one thing I could thing to do. I might get punished for it but it would be saving a life.

Once I knew Rumplestiltskin was gone I ran down to the dungeon opened the door.

" Did he send you here to finish the job."The prisoner ask me as I moved into the room.

"No. He didn't send me at all." I said and walked straight over to the ropes holding him and starting to uncoil them.

" Your helping me?"

" I can't let this happen to someone." I finished uncoiling the ropes and he fell to the ground. I rushed over and helped him up. " you need to get as far away from here as possible." I undid the shackles around his wrists.

" Thank you, but he will go after you for this."

" That I will deal with when the time comes." I helped him up and out of the dungeon all the way back to the main room where he grabbed the wand and I gave him a quick drink of water before he ran out of the castle. I walked back into the main room and began my sweeping once more waiting for the return of Rumplestiltskin.


	4. Discovery

When Rumplestiltskin returned I was waiting in the main room reading a book. I had finished everything he had told me to do in that time. He walked over and began to sharpen his tools.

" I will try not to be to loud, but I cant promise that same courteously from our prisoner." He said pulled a clean apron on and walking down to the dungeon. I took a breath waiting for the moment when he would see.

" Where is he." The Dark one asked in a angered tone as he came back into the room.

" Gone." I said putting down my book. " I let him go." I could feel his anger growing.

" What?! He was a thief."

" That doesn't give you the right to kill him."

" It gives me every right. Let me guess you think he's a hero, stealing from me for some noble cause. You read too many book dearie." He said making the book I was reading disappear. " There maybe that will stop filling your head with poisonous thoughts."

" I didn't free him because of what I read in my books. I freed him because he was a good man who wanted to escape with his life."

" He escaped with more then his life. He tricked you. You foolish, gullible girl " Rumplestiltskin moved over to where the wand had been. I looked over and then looked at him.

" You don't know why he needed that wand." I said standing and moving to stand in front of him.

" He took the wand because he wanted magic. People who steal magic never have good intentions " He said his anger growing as he walked to the table setting down his instrument for torture.

" No. You don't know why he needed the wand." I said moving to him. " He has a good heart. How can you know someone until you truly know them?"

" oh we'll find out who he truly is and we'll find out what kind of heart he has when I shoot an arrow through it and because I am a show man, it will be with his bow." The thief's bow instantly appeared in the Dark one's hand. " And because its your fault you get to come with me and watch and know as the blood drips from his carcass that you will be there with your rags to wipe it up." He threw me my cloak and he poofed the two of us outside to a carriage.

" Get in Dearie." He said as the door magically opened for me as I slid on my cloak.

" You don't have to go after him." I said getting into the carriage.

" Oh but I do." He got in shut the door, then the carriage began to move into the forest.


End file.
